Experiencing Interruptions?

Joychair

In a near future where healthcare is run by AI, a lonely elderly woman faces technology’s plan to replace human connection.

  • Vanessa Sandre
    Director
  • Vanessa Sandre
    Writer
  • Torrin Blades
    Producer
  • Amanda Pileggi
    Producer
  • Deborah Grover
    Key Cast
    "Theodora Silva"
  • Mylene Carino
    Key Cast
    "Joy"
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Sci-Fi, Drama
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 42 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    December 12, 2025
  • Production Budget:
    50,000 CAD
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Vanessa Sandre

Vanessa Sandre is a Brazilian-Canadian filmmaker based in Tkaronto (Toronto). She is an alumnus of the 2025 Directors’ Lab of the Norman Jewison Program at the Canadian Film Centre (CFC). She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Film and a Master’s degree in Literature, with a focus on Women and Gender Studies.
Over the past 15 years, Vanessa has cultivated a diverse career as a screenwriter, director, producer, and performer. As a Latina immigrant artist, she finds inspiration in crafting narratives that amplify underrepresented voices through a decolonial and intersectional feminist lens.
Her films have been screening in over 60 festivals worldwide and have received more than 30 awards.

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Director Statement

As AI rapidly reshapes our lives, this project explores how technology threatens to replace the very things that make us human. I am drawn to stories about ordinary people and the intimacy of their daily lives, with a particular interest in elderly characters and their emotional complexity—voices often unseen on screen, especially in speculative genres. Joychair continues my artistic commitment to portraying these characters with sensitivity, while examining how technology shapes our responses to aging and loneliness.